


Goodbyes and new starts

by Vinushuka



Series: One year with Apocalyptica [33]
Category: Apocalyptica
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 15:33:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13297872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinushuka/pseuds/Vinushuka
Summary: Anna's long awaited meeting with Patrik turns out to be a crushing disappointment. He has come to say his goodbyes. Anna has to cope with the idea that the man he new and loved wasn't actually Patrik but Sebastian, her guardian angel.When Perttu returns from his USA tour, Anna arranges a dinner party so that Perttu and Yusuke and Johanna and Anna would have a chance to get acquainted. The party is a success but there's a surprise waiting at the end. Anna finally hears the question she has waited for so long, but it's Yusuke who asks it...





	1. Goodbyes of the guardian angel

## Goodbyes of the guardian angel (1)

 

“I’m sorry that I’m a bit late. There was some last minute hassle at work”, Patrik apologized when he appeared at my doorstep at half past five on Wednesday, 29th of April. He looked slightly pale but otherwise he was his glorious self again. As always my heart skipped a beat when his grey eyes met mine and he smiled at me. I just couldn’t help myself and dived straight into his arms.

“I’m so glad to see you again! It’s been far too long… ”, I whispered and squeezed him into my embrace.

 “Yeah, it’s been a while”, Patrik admitted and pushed me a little farther from himself.

“Are you okay now?” I asked feeling worried. I didn’t like the way he sounded…

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just a little tired. These two days at work have been really tough”, he replied.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Just go and relax on the sofa for a while. My mushroom pasta should be ready in a minute”, I proposed and released him reluctantly.

      I had kept my cooking simple this time and prepared a creamy shiitake sauce and fresh pasta for us. “Mineral water or light beer?” I asked when I brought our portions decorated with fresh basil and parmesan cheese to the table.

“Light beer is fine, thanks”, Patrik replied when he sat down at the table opposite of me.

We both were hungry so we ate in peace and quiet concentrating on our meal. “These mushrooms are really delicious”, Patrik remarked at some point and gave me a careful smile.

      When Patrik had finished his portion he sat quietly gazing at his beer glass and gave out a deep sigh. “I’m afraid I have bad news for you. It’s difficult for me to find the right words…”

My heart thudded. Something was wrong after all.

“Just say what you have to say and get over with it”, I encouraged him although I really didn’t want to hear his bad news. I’d had enough of them.

“I can’t be your guardian angel anymore. They said I was getting personally too much involved with you. I was fired.”

      My first reaction to his words was anger. Why was this guy fooling around with me like this? I took a deep breath to overcome my irritation and asked him the only question I could think of.

“What does that mean in practice?”

“When I got the job as your guardian angel I selected Patrik to be the person to work with. I took possession of him as you might say. You have always known Patrik as me not as himself. When I leave him he won’t know or remember you anymore. He will not be the person you knew as Patrik.

“You can’t do that! Please don’t do that! It’s cruel!” I screamed at him feeling desperate.

“I must. I was ordered to do so”, Patrik insisted.

“But you will ruin his life if he forgets everything. Is that how you treat people?”

“Please don’t get me wrong. I’m with Patrik only when he’s with you. At work he is himself and during his trip to Japan too with minor exceptions”, Patrik explained looking stressed out.

“Okay. That sounds slightly better”, I mumbled trying to understand what he was telling me.

      “By the way you can’t see Patrik because of me”, Patrik suddenly remarked surprising me off guard. “When I leave him permanently, you can see him like normal people.”

“Err… How do you know about my gift?”

“I’m supposed to know things like that. There is some kind of remote connection with your kind and mine. Maybe some unruly angel has at some point of time mingled with humans too intimately. No-one knows. Anyway, there are some people with a gift like yours.”

“How do you look like when you’re not with Patrik? Something glorious with wings or…?”

“I’m not sure how you would see me. Normally people see me as a bright light.”

“What is your real name?” I asked now that he was giving me some answers.

“I can’t tell you that but let’s agree a name. You can pick any name you like.”

“Would Sebastian be okay?” I proposed as if I had always known that this name belonged to him.

“Err… Sebastian is fine for me.”

      My brain felt paralyzed and drained out and I couldn’t figure out any more questions to ask. I just stared at my hands and waited that Sebastian would say something.  “When will you leave Patrik?” I finally asked my eyes tearing up.

“Tonight, when we are at back home. He won’t notice anything.”

“And after that he won’t know me or remember our lovemaking or anything like that?” I repeated just to make sure I had understood everything correctly.

“Basically so. He may have some vague memories but nothing more.”

“I that really necessary?” I asked feeling completely at loss. “Lumi won’t have a godfather anymore.”

“Why don’t you ask Eicca and Kirsi? I’m sure they would be happy to be Lumi’s godparents. Perttu would probably like them better than me.”

“Yeah, maybe…Will Patrik forget also Eicca?”

“He’s already done that. I thought it was better that way.”

“Oh, I see”, I said and stood up from the table to collect the dishes. This was almost too much for me and I needed to do something ordinary.

      “Thanks for the dinner. It was delicious. Please, let me help with the dishes”, Sebastian proposed and followed me to the kitchen carrying a pile of plates.

“Would you like to see my scars before I leave?” Sebastian asked when he laid the plates on the tabletop. He reached out his hand caressed my arm. His touch almost burned my skin. I took a deep breath not to burst into tears and turned to look at him. “Yes Sebastian, I would like to see Patrik’s scars although they are none of my business anymore.”

      Sebastian stood patiently still while I unbuttoned his white shirt and opened it to expose his hairy chest. The scars were clearly visible at the upper part of his belly and near his waist as he had been shaved in those areas. I slid my fingers carefully on them trying to control my desire for the man in front of me. “Are these itchy?”

“Men are always itchy”, he grinned and pinned my hand under his.

      My need to make love with Sebastian for one last time overwhelmed my reason. “Would you like to come to bed with me? I can’t bear to see you go. You can leave me when I’m asleep”, I proposed although I knew that my desperate effort to hold on to him a while longer was doomed to fail. He would leave me tonight and never come back.

“Yes, I’d like that. It easier also for me that way…”

      We crawled under the covers and laid facing each other talking about our past, or actually it was I who did most of the talking. “I remember when I saw you for the first time your hair free… I think it was at the back seat of your car…I really thought that you were an angel.”

“What you did to me wasn’t very angelic but nevertheless gorgeous”, Sebastian admitted his eyes glittering of satisfaction.

“I will never forget how your hair fell on my face when we made love before you left to Japan”, I whispered caressing his cheek.

      Sebastian had opened his ponytail and his long curls were flowing freely on the sheets. I took one of them and let it slide through my fingers. “I really don’t know how to face Patrik when you are gone. I can’t see myself working with him when I return from my parental leave. It will be too painful.”

“Perhaps you should ask for a transfer to Japan with Yusuke. His posting here in Finland last only about a year”, Sebastian proposed.

“Hmm, I haven’t considered my future so far but that might be a good option. I have always wanted to stay in Japan for a little longer time.”

“Your future is with Yusuke and Perttu, not Patrik, trust me.”

 “I do trust you, after all, you are an angel,” I replied meaning it. For the first time during our meeting I was convinced that Sebastian really was what he claimed to be.

       Suddenly he smiled and stroke my cheek with his hand.  “Would you like to have a fuck with your guardian angel once more before I go? Sebastian asked a strange gleam in his eyes.

“Yes, I would and from behind please.”

“Let me kiss you first”, Sebastian asked when I was about to turn my back at him. I rolled over to face him feeling his hot breath on my face. The guy was really burning inside. When his lips pressed on mine I was swallowed by something bright and swirly sprinkled with imaginary colors. It was as if I was shooting through my internal universe at huge speed.

“Wow, how did you do that? You made me feel dizzy”, I panted when he let go of me.

“I can do all kinds of things”, he mused and kissed my forehead. 

      When Sebastian was holding me from behind and kissing my nape I could feel the heat of his body on my back. When he pushed himself deep inside me, the same heat seemed to penetrate me. The imaginary colors returned and swallowed me until I was completely lost. My orgasm was like a huge flash of energy first expanding and then contracting into nothingness. My last thought before the darkness fell was that this was one hell of a way to go.

      When I stirred awake at night I knew instinctively that I was alone in my bed.  As I turned to lie on my back I found Sebastian the teddy bear sleeping beside me. That made me smile. Sebastian the angel had a crooked sense of humor.

      I scurried downstairs to check if Sebastian was really gone. When I turned on the living room lights, I found my cellphone together with a note on the dinner table. I was somehow reluctant to open the note but did it anyhow.

“I’m sorry that I had to do all this! Farewell, Sebastian”, it said.

First I didn’t understand what he meant with ‘all this’ but then I glanced at my phone and understood. I opened the phone and checked my Facebook and my messages. Patrik wasn’t my friend anymore and our message chain was gone. Even the photos he had sent me had vanished. I stood there paralyzed staring at my phone. Sebastian had been very thorough. There was nothing left of Patrik.

      I left the note and my phone on the table and shambled upstairs blinded by my tears. I crawled back to my bed, grabbed teddy bear Sebastian in my arms and started to cry or rather howl of pain.  Now I knew how it felt to lose someone to death. Patrik was as good as dead to me. The man I had known and loved was forever gone with Sebastian and I had no strength in me left to start everything from scratch with the real Patrik.

      When I had calmed down a bit I started to think that maybe there was something good in this tragedy after all. I hoped that my infatuation with Patrik would vanish now that Sebastian was gone. As a matter of fact the whole thing might be of his doing. With this comforting thought I could finally close my eyes and let myself drift into sleep again. My life would go on without Patrik one way or the other and I would have to settle with that.


	2. Virginity lost

## Virginity lost (2)

Thursday was my last workday as Apocalyptica’s assistant. I had already done most of the preparations for leaving my job so I didn’t have much to do at the office. The boys would return from their USA tour the next day which was First of May celebration in Finland. I wasn’t in a mood to celebrate because of the shock Patrik had arranged to me the day before but I was relieved that my maternity leave was finally starting.

       I was deeply sad because I had lost Patrik’s love and friendship but relieved about the pieces of information Sebastian had given me about my seer’s gift. I was special but not the only one of my kind. If I had this thing in my genes, there was a possibility that Lumi had it too.  I had already suspected that but only time would tell if I had guessed right.

      On Thursday evening, after I had enjoyed my dinner and was idly watching TV, it suddenly occurred to me that I should check if I could see Patrik now. If that was the case, I could be sure that Patrik hadn’t made up the whole thing just to get rid of me.

      I assumed he would be at home at this time of the day so I tried to locate him there first. I was prepared to use the full arsenal of my powers to find him but I didn’t have to. Suddenly, without any trouble, I was with him. He was standing in his living room close to Naoki who was opening the buttons of his own shirt with shaky fingers. The scene was familiar to me. I had seen something like that happening already a month ago. When Naoki confessed that he was a virgin, I was sure that the dream I had was coming true right in front of my eyes.

      I knew I should leave them to do whatever they were going to do but I was too curious. Seeing Patrik alive and well was just too tempting for me. I stayed and watched how he would free Naoki from his virginity.

“I would like to show you something before we…” Naoki whispered his looking enthusiastic.

“Go ahead”, Patrik promised showing remarkable patience considering that this was the moment he had been waiting for weeks.

“I bought a dress and some accessories on my way here. I thought that you would like to see it on me. Please turn around and don’t peek before I say so.” Naoki hurried to the entrance hall and locked himself in the bathroom to change. Patrik waited patiently but after a while he started to get fidgety and dug up his cellphone. He was just about to turn when the bathroom door opened.

“Okay, you can turn now”, Naoki announced in a small and unsure voice.

“Jeez man. You look amazing”, was all that Patrik could say after gaping at Naoki for a moment. The shorthaired guy in jeans had vanished and in his place stood a beautiful longhaired woman in a black dress and high heels. Naoki had put on some makeup and lipstick to emphasize his beautiful oval face, high cheekbones and full lips.

“I think it’s fun to dress up sometimes. Do you really like it?” Naoki asked and twirled around in his dress exposing his well-formed legs. The dress with a wide hem complimented perfectly his narrow waist.

“I love it! Can you come closer?” Patrik asked and reached out his hand towards Naoki. Naoki took it and Patrik pulled him into his arms.

      Patrik folded his arms around Naoki’s slender body and caressed carefully his long black hair. I had no way of knowing what he was thinking at that moment but disbelief was my best guess. Naoki leaned his head on Patrik’s bare chest and seemed to relax when Patrik had accepted his crossdressing. Patrik let his hands slide from Naoki’s hair down his back to his behind.  Eventually his hands found their way under Naoki’s dress and on the silk panties he was wearing.

“You feel very authentic” Patrik mumbled into Naoki’s hair and caressed his silky behind.

Naoki took a deep breath when Patrik’s hand moved from behind to the front of his panties. “Do you mind if I take a closer look at this?” Patrik asked rubbing gently the thing under his palm.

“If you want to”, Naoki replied his voice trembling.

      Patrik kneeled down on the floor and dived under the hem of Naoki’s dress. He pulled down Naoki’s panties and he stepped out of them raising the hem of his dress to see what Patrik was doing. Patrik was enjoying his lovely but unexperienced lover by kissing every possible part of his body under his navel. When his kisses reached the stem of his dick and after that the head of it, Naoki couldn’t stay quiet anymore.  As Patrik sank the thing deep into his mouth and teased the head with his tongue Naoki let out a quiet but continuous moan that lasted until he finally reached his climax.

“Should we take the dress off before we go to bed?” Patrik asked when Naoki had recovered from his orgasm.

“Hmm, maybe that’s better. I don’t want to ruin it right away.”

       Patrik opened the zipper at the back of Naoki’s dress and pulled it fluently over his head. After that he grabbed the smaller man into his arms and carried him into the bedroom. When he closed the door behind him I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see more. Did I really want to watch my man making love to his boyfriend? I couldn’t make myself leave so I stayed and waited behind the door straining my ears to hear what was happening. Naoki’s sudden scream made the decision for me and I rushed into the room to see what was happening.

      Maybe Patrik had been too eager and pushed himself too fast or too deep inside his lover but anyways Naoki was in tears and Patrik was doing his best to comfort him.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you… I should have been more careful”, Patrik whispered into Naoki’s ear and stroke his wet cheek. I could see that Patrik wasn’t far from tears himself either.  “We can try again some other time. I just want to be close to you…”

 “It was all my fault. I was too nervous and uptight…Can I try something else instead?” Naoki sniffled and stroke Patrik’s hair.

“Err, whatever you like”, Patrik admitted sounding a bit astonished.

“Just turn on your back and close your eyes…and keep your hands on the bed”, Naoki instructed Patrik and sat up on the bed waiting his companion to do what he had asked.

      When Patrik was ready Naoki climbed on top of him gazing at his boyfriend’s body with adoration. Patrik waited patiently as his lover’s fingers wandered on his chest. “Can I kiss your scars?” Naoki whispered after a long silence.

“Yes, please”, Patrik whispered starting to get emotional. When Naoki’s lips touched the scars on his waist I could see a tear rolling down Patrik’s cheek. Naoki continued his kisses around his navel where the skin was covered with thick hair continuing as a narrow line down to his dick.

      Naoki rested his cheek on Patrik’s hairy belly and closed his eyes looking happy. “You’re my cave man”, he muttered and wrapped his fingers around Patrik’s weapon that had already recovered from the fright Naoki’s scream had caused. “Can I suck this?” he asked admiring Patrik’s stout penis in his hand.

“Eh, why not…” Patrik huffed and raised his butt to respond to Naoki’s tight grip around his shaft. Naoki sunk the thing into his mouth and started to work on it with his fingers and lips. Patrik grabbed the sheets with his both hands but didn’t move them or open his eyes. Naoki concentrated completely on making Patrik come although he himself was fully excited too. When Patrik finally reached his climax and shot his sperm into Naoki’s mouth I thought I could see Naoki smile. He was proud of what he had accomplished.

      At this stage I decided stop spying on the two lovers. Patrik was getting what he wanted and that was all that mattered to me. Maybe he wasn’t anymore the man I had loved but he deserved to be happy.


	3. The dinner party of special significance

## The dinner party of special significance (3)

I was happy that I had regained my mental balance before Perttu’s return because I had agreed to meet him right after his arrival, on Saturday 2nd of May. Of course I couldn’t tell Perttu anything about what had happened with Patrik but sooner or later I would have to take up the godparents issue with him. I didn’t want to ruin our reunion with my personal issues, I just wished to spend time with the father of my child as long as it was still possible. Johanna probably wasn’t eager to share her husband with me after they were married.

      Perttu was a little downcast at our Sunday morning breakfast. He would have the long awaited house showing with Johanna in the afternoon so I naturally expected him to be bursting with enthusiasm but he wasn’t. He seemed to be somehow reluctant to leave.

“Will I see you again before the party?” I asked when he was dressed up and ready to go.

“Probably not. I will be travelling most of the week but I will keep you posted about the house situation”, Perttu promised and kissed my cheek before leaving.

        The dinner party with Yusuke, Franky, Perttu and Johanna had been scheduled for Saturday 9th of May and I was already getting nervous about it. I knew Perttu was busy with his work but sometimes I wished he would be like normal people and could stay at home at least couple of months.

      This time I would be hosting the party with Yusuke. I had included him in the party preparations right from the beginning because I was afraid that I didn’t have the energy to take care of everything. That turned out to be a very sane decision. Yusuke was eager to show his cooking skills to our guests and he was an excellent organizer. We planned the menu together but he took care of most of the preparations including shopping. I promised to take care of the table decorations, music and other program for the evening. Of course I would also help Yusuke with cooking and serving the dishes. During our joint effort I realized how easy and fun it was to work with him as a team.

       When Saturday finally arrived we were all set and ready to host this party of special significance. Even the weather was plausible; the sun was shining and the garden was getting more colorful day by day. In the honor of the party I decorated the porch with two handsome pots of narcissi and tulips.

      I was wearing my red dress as it was the only one that fitted my huge belly. Yusuke wore his Italian suit and kept his hair free, which was my special request. I couldn’t help admiring his stature. There I had a man in his prime, strong, healthy and beautiful with a brain sharp as a razor blade.

      Our guests arrived punctually at six o’clock with Perttu’s car. We went to receive them on the porch together. I held Yusuke’s hand as I was extremely nervous about the situation. Yusuke’s touch helped me to keep my composure and showed to our guests that we were now a couple.

      Perttu helped Johanna out of the car and Franky followed them. I was thankful that Franky had accepted my invitation. I felt that he was my ally and support in all respects. Perttu looked gorgeous as always in his blue suit. I felt my heart break a little when I saw him with Johanna. But that was nothing compared to the shock of seeing Johanna in person for the first time. Her beauty was stunning and made my self-confidence crumble into pieces. How had I ever dreamed about competing with someone like her?       I took a deep breath clinging desperately to Yusuke’s hand. This had been my idea and now I would have to play the game to the end no matter how I felt. Yusuke probably noticed my panic because he folded his arm around my waist to support me.

      Perttu led Johanna to us and introduced his fiancé to me and Yusuke. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person, Anna, although I feel I already know you. Perttu keeps constantly talking about you and Lumi”, Johanna said while shaking hands with me. She gave me a genuinely warm but somewhat shy smile.

Johanna’s words made me realize that maybe I had something that she was only dreaming about. I had Lumi, Perttu’s first and for the time being only child. “Welcome, Johanna. It’s good to see you too. The photos don’t do justice to your beauty. You will make a dazzling bride!”

Perttu gave me a warm hug and a kiss on my cheek. “How’s my baby girl doing?” he asked and glanced at my belly. I blushed because I wasn’t used to him declaring his fatherhood in public. Of course everyone in our little party knew that he was the father but still… Was there a point in his statement?

       This dinner party was arranged in order to give Perttu and Yusuke a chance to meet and get to know one another. Perttu’s possessive comment was not exactly the best start from that point of view but Yusuke’s response surprised me even more. “It’s a great honor to meet Lumi’s father finally. I hope I can help you with her upbringing…” They say attack is the best defense but this was far more than I had expected of him. Where was the famous Japanese discretion?

“Err… Maybe we can discuss about that a little later on”, Perttu mumbled his cheeks turning red. Yusuke had caught also him off guard.

      I took our guests to a garden tour while Yusuke went in to prepare the welcoming drinks. The evening was still bright and actually quite warm considering that it was early May. Franky accompanied me, and Perttu followed with Johanna. The tour took quite long as Franky and Johanna had many questions about the plants and garden maintenance.

      We were just leaving from the greenhouse when Yusuke came to invite us in. He had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves for cooking and looked absolutely gorgeous. I gave him a kiss, grabbed his hand and we walked into the house our guests following.

      Yusuke had conjured magical looking drinks for us with layers of blue and green liquid and decorated them with blueberries and green leaves. The drinks were nonalcoholic as the majority of us couldn’t or wouldn’t drink alcohol. I assumed the green layer was made of macha but the rest I would have to check later from Yusuke.

“Your English is very good. Have you been to America?” Franky asked Yusuke when we were chatting this and that and enjoying our drinks before sitting down at the dinner table.

“Yes, I worked for three years in Los Angeles”, Yusuke replied measuring his sturdy looking companion with curious eyes.

“I’m from Las Vegas. My wife and kids live there while I’m touring around the world with these crazy guys”, Franky grinned nodding towards Perttu.

“Well, I’m not jumping the rope and beating a bag to death with my fists. I just torture my cello”, Perttu remarked referring to Franky’s boxing exercises.

“Yusuke is beating his opponents with wooden sticks so all you guys are doing weird things”, I snickered and caressed Yusuke’s arm with my fingers.

“We all seems to have one thing in common; we all have tattoos”, Franky remarked. Yours are very beautiful”, he continued addressing his words to Yusuke.

“They were made in LA but the sceneries are from Japan…” Yusuke said quietly. “But now I think it’s time for starters. Will you come and help me, Anna?”

      I followed Yusuke to the kitchen to finalize the starters. We had prepared during the day a colorful beetroot-coconut cream soup that would be served with apple bits. The dark red color of the soup would look gorgeous on the white plates we used.

“Is something wrong?” I asked while I was chopping the apple chunks to smaller pieces. Something in Yusuke’s composure told me he was anxious.

“I’m sure that Perttu doesn’t want me to raise his daughter. He doesn’t trust me…”

“Please don’t jump into conclusions. He’s a very sensitive and introvert person and I have a feeling that he’s at the moment regretting his decision to leave me and marry Johanna. This is an extremely difficult decision for him. Please give him time to get used to the idea of you and me together.”

“I guess you’re right. I’m sorry that I lost my confidence”, Yusuke apologized and gave me a careful smile.

“Don’t be sorry, you’re a fine man and I trust you. Why wouldn’t he? But now, are you ready to start the dinner? Our guests must be starving…”

      Due to careful planning we managed to navigate through the whole dinner without any major hick-ups or accidents. Our guests seemed to enjoy all the courses but especially the dessert earned praises from everybody. The coconut-macha cake served with strawberry sauce and coconut crumble stole also my heart.

      When we had cleared the table there was a short break before serving the cheese selection and coffee or tea. I assumed that Perttu would use this opportunity to talk with Yusuke if he wanted to do that. He did.

“Do you mind if I borrow Yusuke for a while”, Perttu asked when I was in the kitchen with Yusuke arranging the cheese selection onto a large plate.

“Go ahead. You can use the guest room upstairs if you need privacy”, I proposed. “Is Franky keeping company to Johanna while you are away?”

“Yes, she’s in good hands”, Perttu assured me.

I gave Yusuke thumbs up when Perttu didn’t notice. I sure hoped the guys would find some kind of understanding without losing their temper or ending up in a fruitless argument. I needed Lumi’s two fathers to co-operate to make things work in the future.


	4. Finally the right question

## Finally the right question (4)

When the guys had vanished upstairs I headed to the living room to check on Franky and Johanna.  I found them sitting on the sofa immersed in a discussion about horses and cats. I didn’t know Franky well enough to say if he had previous history with horses but he sure sounded like he had.

Johanna and Perttu were going to take a kitten from the same litter as me. “How are our cat babies doing?” I asked to join the discussion.

“They are becoming livelier day by day and their curiosity is bottomless”, Johanna replied. “I can’t wait to take my kitty home. It’s only two weeks now until they are old enough.”

“Did you like the house you checked out on Sunday?” I asked to hear Johanna’s opinion. I had already talked with Perttu about it and he was sure that this was the house he wanted.

“The house of course needs thorough renovation but I think it’s suitable for us. There are several outbuildings that can be used to keep animals so I’m pretty pleased with the place. We are going to need some professional help with the renovation. Perttu will be travelling most of the time so he can’t do it by himself. Besides he will probably want to spend his scarce free time with Lumi once she’s born.”

“Well, that will leave quite much responsibility to you”, I said feeling worried about their project. “I would be glad to help but I doubt that Lumi will keep me busy for quite a while. I’m really glad that I’m getting Nina to help me… and of course Yusuke can help too.”

“He seems to be a very competent man. I’m really glad that he’s there for you. Sometimes I feel awful about all this.”

       I was about to reply but just then Perttu and Yusuke came back from upstairs. I had been afraid they might get into an argument but just by looking at them I could tell that they were relieved more than anything. Perttu flumped on the sofa and folded his arm around Johanna’s shoulders. Yusuke came to stand by me. “Shall we continue with the cheese plate?” he asked and offered his hand to help me up. He was keeping a poker face but his eyes were glistening with happiness. I guessed he had got what he wanted.

“What happened?” I whispered to him when we were alone in the kitchen.

“To keep it short, we are free to do anything we want, even move to Japan as long as he can see his daughter. He wants Lumi to have his surname which I think you had already agreed to earlier.”

“Yes, she will be Lumi Kivilaakso. I just wonder about my surname…” I snickered and hugged Yusuke.

“Just a minute. I need my jacket”, Yusuke mumbled and hurried to the living room. When he came back, he had his jacket on and he stopped right in front of me digging up something from his pocket. “Anna Sarela, will you do me the honor of marrying me?” he asked and offered me a blue velvet box with a ring in it.

      I gaped at the ring without believing my eyes or ears. Yusuke was brave enough to ask me the question I had waited for so long from Perttu!

“Yes, I will”, I replied and offered him my hand so that he could slip the ring into my finger.

When he had done that, he took my face into his hands and gave me the gentlest kiss in the world “I love you, Anna.”

“I love you too…Should we tell the others?” I sniffled tears running down my cheeks.

      When we entered the living room, Yusuke raised his voice. ”Dear friends, can I have your attention for a second.... I’m pleased to announce that Anna has just agreed to marry me”, Yusuke told to our unprepared audience. After that he kissed my cheek and gave a dazzling smile first to me and then to our momentarily very quiet friends.

Franky was the first one to react. He jumped up from the sofa and rushed to hug Yusuke and me. ”Jeez, I’m so happy for you “, he whispered into my ear.

Johanna followed in Franky’s wake. “This was a very pleasant surprise! Congratulations to both of you!” she smiled looking relieved. Maybe our announcement had eased up her bad conscience a little.

Perttu came last looking thoughtful. “Congratulations to both of you. You sure don’t waste time in your relationship”, Perttu grinned.

“At this age there’s no time to waste”, I replied honestly. Time had become the most valuable asset for me. Yusuke gave me a nod showing that he agreed. We both had got a second chance and were not going to waste it.

“When can we expect the wedding invitations?” Perttu asked carefully.

“Not right away, if that’s what you’re worrying about. There’s someone who wants to attend the wedding but is not here yet. Maybe we wait until Lumi can participate.” I promised and gave a quick glance at Yusuke. I had no idea how quickly he wanted to act, but I wasn’t keen to have a wedding in my present condition.

“I think Anna should avoid any unnecessary stress at the moment”, Yusuke added to support me. ”Maybe you and Johanna should arrange your wedding first…”

Yusuke’s slightly rude proposal made me realize that Perttu’s wedding would be too much for me at the moment. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing him, not now, not yet…


End file.
